Five Questions With: Angelo A Pitassi Jr.

Angelo A. Pitassi Jr., president and co-founder of HealthID Profile Inc., talks to PBN about how his son’s diabetes sparked the idea for the tech-savvy HIP medical ID bracelets and the importance of quick information in a medical emergency.

The inserts can be personalized for an additional fee by the wearer with up to 40 characters of personalized information along with their HIP Code as well.

As emergency medical personnel arrive on a scene, 95 percent look for a medical ID bracelet upon arrival (according to the NREMT).

They would clearly recognize our bracelet as it displays the universal caduceus symbol for medical alert; they would then open the bracelet lid to reveal the HIP Code and instruction. The medical personnel can easily go to healthidprofile.com with a smartphone, tablet or laptop and enter in the persons HIP Code and within seconds have that person’s relevant information.

Our HIP USB Bracelets not only have the HIP Code insert as mentioned above, but also carry a removable USB storage device that also contains the summary of pertinent medical information for that wearer.

The USB device is simply removed from the HIP USB Bracelet and inserted into a standard USB port on any computer or laptop and the file appears and can be opened for review…no internet connection needed with the USB device.

PBN: There’s a USB stick on the inside of the bracelet, what is stored on the memory stick and how durable is it?

PITASSI: There are two components to our USB HIP Bracelets. First, everyone who purchases a HIP product will receive a HIP Code that is a unique identifier to that particular customer.

The HIP Code comes on an adhesive insert that sticks inside the HIP Bracelet and communicates simple instruction such as “I have a medical condition – the actual HIP Code – enter HIP Code at healthidprofile.com – SEE USB BELOW.”

Second, the actual USB device stored inside the bracelet. Once a new customer receives their bracelet for the first time, they are instructed in the package to go online to our website and register via the provided pre-printed HIP Code.

Once registered, the customer enters the "welcome screen" on HealthID Profile and they add all their pertinent information and then sync that information to the USB. It is a simple overall process...

The USB device is durable, waterproof and shockproof.

PBN: You came up with the idea for HIP because of your son, who has Type I diabetes, but what made you decide to make them so technologically advanced rather than just having a standard, though fashionable/customizable medical ID bracelet?

PITASSI: Again, our focus is on efficiently communicating information in the time of a medical emergency.

However, I know firsthand that having the ability to store more data would allow my wife and me, along with our son’s doctors to make more informed decisions with his healthcare.

We also know that technology is here to stay and it makes our lives more efficient and what more could you ask for when talking about your storing your pertinent medical data and having it readily available.

PBN: What demographic do you think should most look into the HIP bands? Is there a particular age group/at-risk population that you think would best benefit from this product?

PITASSI: We know that our customers range in age from my son’s age (approx. 8-9 years old) up to mid-70s age range. That tells us that age is not a factor when looking at our products; we have something for all ages.

As far as at-risk population, diabetes has been a popular condition for our wearers, but we see all types of conditions and this really singles down to what the wearer feels gives them peace of mind knowing that if something happened and I couldn’t communicate can I get this information to someone…so if it fits into that broad scenario you can use one of our HIP Bands or HIP USB Bracelets for it.

PBN: What kind of feedback have you gotten from customers, parents and interested companies?

PITASSI: The feedback and response has been overwhelming.

We get emails and phone calls daily from folks who have purchased our bracelets and some that haven’t purchased anything from us, but simply want to thank us for what we do!

The retailers we have spoken with so far have also been equally excited about our products and our company…we design all our products, we designed the technology and most importantly we stand behind and support everything we sell!

I think the most satisfying relationships we have are with organizations such as JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) and the synergy we have with them. They love our products and we love to give back to them … it’s truly a win-win!

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